Wish in the Snow
Selina Kyle gets her Christmas present early when a ghost of her past appears in the snow. Post- TDKR Two Shot for the early Christmas Season.
A midnight hour was approaching warmth from street lamps reflected off the ice covered sidewalks of downtown Manhattan, her sharp-heels clicked on the pavement. Her red lips parted to and breath became crystallized as she felt the coolness of this winter night lash over her alabaster cheeks. Piercing her skin like knives and needles. Her clenched jaw was growing numb as she wandered pass store front windows with jewelry displays of heart shaped diamond necklaces, platinum engagement rings and ruby jeweled matching earrings.
All those trinkets of desire, had suddenly became worthless to her icy heart. She stuffed her gloved hands into her black trench coat pockets, her frozen fingertips started to warm. She clicked her heels pass bustling cowards of midnight shoppers, NYCPD officers standing on the cross walk curbs and the dozen of homeless that lay on crumbled newspaper. She stopped in her tracks and placed a few spare coins in a paper coffee cup that a little girl was holding with a shaky hand.
"Here you go, sweetheart," she said with a gentle smile crossed over her chilled lips. She narrowed her dark coffee colored eyes and stared at the stray kitten, dressed in torn and worn clothing with cut up gloves and grime covering her frail cheeks. She crouched down, feeling the coldness of the frosty wind seep into her jeans as she met the child's weary gaze and placed couple more coins into the cup. "Don't spend it all on one thing, kid." she advised as the girl looked at her with clear blue eyes and then smiled before running down the sidewalk. She lowered her gaze, feeling the cold snow flakes land in her sleek, long auburn hair as she straightened herself up and looked through the crowds, the girl had just become a ghost like everyone else in her life.
She listened to the wails of police sirens. Those eerie sounds from passing police cruisers remind her of Gotham. She shifted a glance and watched two cruisers racing through the line ups of traffic, hearing foreign taxi cab drivers swear out curses to their passengers complaints of cab fair.
Rolling her eyes, Selina pressed the stood on the curb of the crossroad, her lithe body growing stiff as the temperature reaches the below freezing degree. She raised her chin up and looked at the snow descend from the thick clouds above the orange tinge sky as the lights of the massive skyscrapers reflected in the clouds and blinks of incoming jets become bright as stars.
The sign changed and she elegantly with quick, purposeful strides crossed the street, headlights of impatient traffic light her path as she swayed her hips and long legs with a coy smirk twisted on her frozen mouth. She clicked her heels on the curb.
Within minutes, she is at the entrance of Central Park, she scowled in annoyance as she listened to a cry of child, jarring her instincts to react. She is about to do an unthinkable act of kindness to a complete stranger in unfamiliar territory.
Great, she muttered out a crystallized breath. Her dark gaze locked on two hooded thugs -worthless street punks or castoffs from a gang who get their kicks from taking advantage of innocent survivors. Children and teenagers and prey on their spoils like devouring wolves. Regardless, she doesn't stand for their actions of hoisting up a small boy wearing a baseball against a tree, she advanced closer, sticking to the shadows of the area, her hands clench into a fists and teeth were barred together. She stared with veins broiling as one of the thugs greedy chubby hands ravages through the kid's pockets and pulls out a wallet and a few candy bars that spill into the snow.
"You think you run out of our territory and come off clean." The large one of the two growled into the kid's trembling face. "We're going to have to teach a lesson." His knuckles began to crack underneath his gloves. His partner held the kid against the tree, grabbing the collar of his tattered jacket. Selina is behind them with a snow ball rolled in her hands. She bombarded her makeshift weapon at the thugs back with a quick throw. He grumbled under his breath and turned around, his angry eyes scanned the area before he locked his dark gaze into the boy's teary eyes.
"So tell me boys," Selina's purr erupted from the shadows of the snow topped trees. 'Which one of you has been naughty and nice?"
The two men pulled out their switchblades, gripping the handles firmly in their hands before the blade touched the boy's cheek, Selina crept behind them, reached up and grabbed the thugs arm, twisting it high and then snapping it behind his back. The knife dropped by her boots before he had a split second to react to her stealthy attack.
The crack of his bone shattering echoed through the frosty air as Selina held his fist into place, then relented long enough to bring his bulky form down with a swift jab of her elbow to his spine. The stolen items fell out of his hand and she seized the loose change with a sharp move of her hands, clutching the money into a fist, tossing the thug aside in the process.
"You boys need to learn how to pick on someone your own size," she snarled, her dark orbs flaring with dangerous gleam.
"You bitch!" The other thug growled, lunging after her as the kid dropped into the snow. She spun half way on her heels and sidestepped as he advanced toward her, knife aiming for her chest, she is quick with reflex and grasped his throat with a constricting squeeze, knowing where to his weakness his concealed and used it against him while her right knee rammed into his groin. He yelped in hand and dropped the knife. She tightened her stranglehold on him before curving her lips and scowling in disgust. She tossed him aside with a defiant smirk crossed on her lips and flipped her auburn locks over her shoulder.
"I guess you both were naughty," she said, kicking her boot into the thug's gut. She sauntered over to the partner and crossed down, placing her gloved fingers on his bruised cheek. "Don't let ever find you stealing for kids again. Because next time big boy," she smirked padding his rounded stomach. "You won't be so lucky."
The boy stood rigid against the tree, staring up at Selina with a mixture of shock and awe. A bit of blood dripped from his lip but he reached down and grabbed the candy bars, quickly stuffing them in his coat's pockets as she towered over him holding out her hand.
"Never steal from anyone you can't outrun, kid." she muttered with an authoritative tone before she dropped the change into the palm of his little hand. "Strays don't last long on the streets with the big dogs." He nodded, eying her wearily before taking off to the street , leaving Selina with a prideful glance over the two punks she laid out in a crippled heaped.
"Stay on your feet kid," she whispered, watching the boy cross through the busy traffic.
He crunched his shoes over the frozen cracks of ice on the sidewalks. His hooded forest-green eyes dazzled as the faint glow of multi -colored lights reflected in his darken pupils. His leather gloved hands were stuffed in the pockets of his black cashmere long coat as he hurried among the crowds of busy shoppers, bags banging against his knees and sides as he managed to squeeze towards the cross walk, he took out his hands and pressed them over his thinned, chapped lips breathing out the warm air from his lungs as he waited impatiently for the light to change.
Snow had landed on his rich layers of chocolate groomed hair, he quickly strutted across the street with regal poise, catching the glimpses of the waiting traffic. A few yellow taxi cabs, sleek black limousines and police cars. Finally his shoes touched the curb and he paced towards the store, pushing through the doors as the Christmas music chimed in his ears, it unnerved him.
Determination was locked in his hazel eyes, burning as he cut through the lines of shoppers, he nearly slipped on the puddles of water as lines of melting snow sloped on the curves his cut-stone cheekbones, he stood in front a display of stuff animals...teddy bears with red ribbon, husky , cats, white tiger and reindeer. Quickly he picked one out, a reindeer with a green silk ribbon around its neck and paced to the cashier, placing the toy on the edge as he took out his thick wallet, and curved his lips into sexy trademark smirk to the cheery looking curly blonde clerk as smiled back at him with a flush of red on the apples of her cheeks.
"What a cute little fella," she said with a jovial voice. "For your daughter?"
He arched both of his eyebrows, "Huh." he muttered out, with a puzzled expression. "No. It's for someone that I..."
He glanced at the total and took out a few crisp bills, handing them to her as she accepted with a gleam in her big brown eyes and counted the amount of change was the bill printed. She stuffed the toy into a plastic bag and handed to him. "Thank you," he smiled politely, noticing a charity tin on the counter. "What's that for?"
"The sick children's fund. Every year we give our donations to the local hospitals including our toys. It's something the owners of the place thought of eight years before. Not too many people care to place a few coins for the children of our city."
"Well I do," he said with a firm, tender voice. He removed a couple of fifty dollar bills and stuffed it into the slit of the red colored tin. "It's not charity." he explained with a calm softness in his hazel chasms. "It's about humanity." He nodded, clasping his lips slightly before saying. "Have a good evening and stay safe."
She smiled brightly at him, "Sir, Merry Christmas."
He returned with a small smile curved on his lips. "The same to you." He walked out of the store, stuffing the bag in his pocket, releasing a steady breath as an updraft of wind lashed over his cheeks and moved quickly to the curb, pressed the button and waiting, as he coldness of the air seep underneath the denim of his jeans and right into his bones.
Selina tucked her hands into her pocket and walked further into the grand park, lamp light reflects over her hair as the snow falls thicker, making her barely see couples sitting on the benches or leaning on the arched bridges. She paused underneath a lamp and peered at a young couple sipping coffee together, holding hands and laughing as the snow collects on their jackets. She crossed her arms protectively over her chest and lowered her gaze as her lip curled to the sound of his voice her mind replayed.
That's a brazen costume for a cat burglar.
She exhaled a deep frustrated breath, her soul was aching and heart breaking in shards of regret. She clenched her eyes shut, feeling the sting of tears brim under her lashes as the snow flakes slide down her tensed jaw. Her face was growing numb as she heard footsteps crunching in the snow behind her. She cringed slight and lifted up her gaze to the snowy sky, with a silent voice she does something totally out of character. She makes a wish from her heart.
"I would give anything to see him again..." she felt a tear slope down her cheek. "I need to tell him that I..."
She paused in all her unsteady thoughts and felt a comforting, familiar presence brush behind her. She swallowed a lump down her throat as the heat of soothing warmth entered through the cashmere of her coat.
"Pretty cold out here...for a thief."
TBC...